Ice Hockey

In going for a puck with a diameter of 8 cm, big men with heights of 190 cm
and weighing more than 90 kg dash and crash into each other at speeds of up
to 60 km/h. The goalkeeper, protected by thick protective gear and a
special mask, uses superhuman reflexes to knock away or catch pucks fired at
him/her at speeds of close to 200 km/h. This speed and power is the real
taste of Ice Hockey, referred to as the "battle on ice."

Especially in the highest peak of the sport, the NHL (National Hockey
League), approximately 600 veteran players from throughout the world,
including North America, Russia, the Czech Republic and Sweden are divided
up into 26 teams, which fight for the Stanley Cup, the proof of the
strongest team.

For the first time in the history of the Olympics, these professional
players from the NHL will all be able to participate in the Nagano Olympics.
The Dream Team in which professionals from the NBA (National Basketball
Association) participated at the Barcelona Olympics will also be able to
realized in Ice Hockey.

Participation by professionals was recognized from the 1988 Calgary
Olympics, but because the Olympics coincided with the NHL season, the top
professionals whose contracts did not allow them to miss team games were
actually prevented from participating in the Olympics. During the Nagano
Olympics, however, for the first time in the 80 year history of the NHL, the
NHL teams agreed to interrupt the season for the Olympics, opening the way
for professionals to participate.

At the Nagano Olympics, 14 men's teams will participate, including Canada,
U.S.A., Russia, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Finland, France, Italy, Germany,
Slovakia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Austria and Japan. Of these, the top six up
to Finland are exempted from the First League, and will appear from the
Second League onwards.

Women's Ice Hockey will become an official event for the first time at the
Nagano Olympics, and as a result of the World Championships held this year,
the teams competing for the honor to be the first victorious country will be
the top five teams of Canada, U.S.A., Finland, China and Sweden, and the
host country Japan.

Japan's first Goal in the Japan-Canada match at the Ice Hockey Nagano Cup
(The Shinano Mainichi Shimbun, Dec. 19, 1996)

Current World Ice Hockey Situation

Currently Ice Hockey is played in three major tournaments which test the
abilities of the various countries. the Olympics, the World Championships
and the World Cup (expanded and name changed from the Canada Cup in 1996).

At the highest peak which is the World Championships, 12 countries belong to
group A, and these teams play a preliminary round to narrow it down to eight
countries, and then play off for top position in the finals tournament.

In the 1996 World Championship, the Czech Republic, Germany, Sweden, U.S.A.,
Finland, Canada, Italy and Russia were the eight countries that advanced to
the finals tournament. The Czech Republic defeated Canada to record the
country's first win since its separation. U.S.A. defeated Russia in the
playoff for third.

As the World Championship, in which participation by professionals is
permitted, is carried out after the NHL regular season has completed, some
players from professional teams that did not make it into the playoffs of
the regular season participate in the Championship.

The World Cup, with its name and rules changed from the Canada Cup last
year, is played before the NHL season starts, so it is a valuable
competition in which professional players can play in the uniforms of their
mother countries. In 1996 the final was played out between U.S.A. and
Canada, both made up entirely of NHL players, and U.S.A. scored their first
victory.

Incidentally, the first Canada Cup (1976) was won by Canada, the second
(1981) by the Soviet Union, the third (1984), fourth (1987) and fifth (1991)
all won by Canada.

Veteran Players from Around the World

At the Olympics, the former Soviet Union, otherwise known as the "Big Red
Machine" scored four consecutive victories from the 1964 Olympics in
Innsbruck (Austria) to the 1976 Olympics in Innsbruck, and have won the
largest number of gold medals, with seven (not including the gold medal won
as the EUN at Albertville in 1992).

However, after the breakup of the Soviet Union, powerful players from within
the country were lost to the NHL, so the overwhelming strength once seen in
the former Soviet Union team is no longer seen in the Russian team.

Canada, which initially was overwhelmingly strong and has won six gold
medals, has yet to win a gold medal since that won in the Oslo Winter
Olympics in 1952 (Canada boycotted participation in the Ice Hockey in
Sapporo in 1972 and Innsbruck in 1976.) At the Nagano Olympics
participation by NHL professionals is permitted, however, and Canada's
desperation to devote all their efforts to a recovery as the origin of the
sport, and must therefore be at the top of the list of gold medal prospects.

The U.S.A. team, winners at the two past Olympics, is made up entirely of
NHL players, and is together with Canada at the top of the list of gold
medal prospects.

In Europe, Finland, Sweden and the Czech Republic have organized their teams
centering around NHL players, and may be expected to be involved in the
fight for gold.

Ice Hockey in Japan

The best position in the Olympics achieved by Japan's men's team is the
eighth position achieved in Squaw Valley in 1960. In the World
Championships, the participation of countries such as Kazakhstan that were
formerly part of the Soviet Union meant that in 1996 Japan finished at the
bottom of group B, and for the first time in nine seasons was demoted to
group C.

In group C of the World Championships held in March this year, Japan was
able to remain in the finals league, but ended up coming fourth. The rules
for the World Championship changed, however, with one team from the Far East
being established in group A, Japan, having a higher position than China
will participate in Group A in subsequent world championships. Despite
this, there will be an obvious gap in ability with the countries gathering
at the Nagano Olympics.

Japan, faced by the great obstacle of not having participated in the
Olympics for Ice Hockey since Lake Placid in 1980, invited Dave King, former
head coach of the NHL Calgary Flames as the general manager, and Bjon
Kinding??, former manager of the Switzerland B team as manager, in an effort
to strengthen Japan's ability. Several players of Japanese descent playing
in the Japan League are also applying for naturalization, and if successful
will be a valuable fighting power.

The powers in women's Ice Hockey are currently U.S.A. and Canada, followed
by the other countries which are participating in the Olympics, which are
Finland, Sweden and China.

At the Pacific Tournament held in Canada in April 1996, Japan lost to Canada
0-18, and to China 1-5. As with the men's team, there is an undeniable gap
in abilities with the top teams. For the Nagano Olympics the intention is
to send the team based on younger players overseas to strengthen their ability. (originally run May 17, 1997)